Top 16 is rolling along and after two games so far, we've had pretty good results. Even though our first-game loss in Moscow at the buzzer was really tough for us, we showed ourselves that we can play with the best teams out there and compete for a spot in the next round. I thought we played a good game there, for sure. Our win over Malaga last Thursday was very important and gave us extra confidence for the upcoming games. We believe that we can play with anybody, and that's important.

Our next game is in Barcelona. We started our preparation today and the team is in good shape. It's always exciting to play against a team like Barcelona, with all its history and tradition. The atmosphere is great and you can really feel it as soon as you walk into the Nou Camp area. You don't have to dig too deep to find motivation for games like that.

It's starting to become spring here in Rome, and that's definetly my favorite time of the year. It's the perfect time to walk around the city and see what it has to offer. This is my second year in Rome and I'm still amazed at how beautiful it is. I see something new every day. I never had so many of my friends and family come visit me since I moved here. They just keep wanting to come back after they've experienced it, I guees. Of course, I don't complain :-)

It's almost time for practice, so I've got to run. I hope...